Bank check



Jan. 18, 1949. N. D. CALLANAN 2,459,263

BANK CHECK Filed Feb. 15, 1945 JOHN DOE & COMPANY 711-299 RIVER STREET BUFFALO, N.Y. |945 PAY --/0 f DOLLARS JOHN DOE & COMPANY Y I SEVENTH NATIONAL BANK i Ohio I I I AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE Q I [I [1 2 77 I I. I i i I I I i I I I 70 I I l l I I l I I I I I I I I I I I II- II':--I-I I l I I I I 1 5 4 a 1 I i I E E a E 2 E :2 a s s 5b *7? I Q9 u I I 1, 79

UJII 2'5 I 28 45 76 J- [N V EN TOR.

' MI 7 I A M08 MW Patented Jan. 18, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in bank checks of the type which are usable in connection with sorting and tabulating machines.

Bank checks are the chief medium of exchange in the United States through which about 96 per cent of all commercial and business transactions are effected. The handling of these checks by banks constitutes about nine-tenths of the bank's internal expense, and with the exception of a relatively small quantity of checks printed on cards of the type usable in connection with sorting and tabulating machines, all of these checks must be sorted, listed and otherwise processed by hand. The card checks now used are extremely sensitive to damage during ordinary handling and must not be folded, spindled, perforated, cut or mutilated in any way, since otherwise they will not be usable in sorting and tabulating machines. These card checks can, therefore, not be used with check writing and protecting devices of the kind commonly employed by the users of checks.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a bank check made of two parts, one of which is of card material usable in sorting and tabulating machines, and the other part of which may be made of ordinary paper and may be used in the manner now customary with paperchecks. A further object of this invention is to provide a two-piece check with means for enabling the card part of the check to be handled in sorting and tabulating machines without interference by the paper part of the check. Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a face view of a check embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the check; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are views, on a reduced scale, showing modified forms of my improved checks.

The check as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 comprises a part I which is made of a cardboard of the type suitable for use in tabulating and sorting machines, and 8 represents the part of the check which may be made of any suitable or desired paper. The part 8 of the check may be printed in blank in any manner desired and may then be filled in by writing in the usual manner, and

the front face of the card part 1 of the check may be used for printin any desired information thereon, or may be left blank, and the rear face of this card part of the check may have the usual numerals printed thereon in rows and may be 2 used'in a perforating machine for recording certain data thereon. The card part of the check may have one corner thereof diagonally out off as shown at 9, as is common in tabulating cards, so that the card part of the check will be presented to tabulating and sorting machines in proper relation thereto, in other words, with the right side up sothat the perforations through this portion of the check will be correctly recorded.

The two parts of the check may be secured together in any suitable or desired manner, for example, by means of paste or glue, so that two overlapping edge portions of the two parts of the check are secured together along a crosswise zone or band I 0.

Tabulatlng and sorting machines are provided with means for automatically feeding the cards into correct relation to the machine, and in standard tabulating cards of the Hollerith type, a longi tudinal edge of the card is usually engaged by the feeding means or fingers of the machine. Since the paper part 8 of the check cannot be used for accurately feeding a check to a tabulating or sortin machine crosswise of the length of the check, because of the flimsy nature of the paper and because these paper parts of the checks may vary in size and shape, I provide means for enabling thecheck to be fed endwise to the machine. For example, I provide along the upper and lower portions of the card part of the-check accurately formed inwardly extending edges II which may be engaged by feed fingers of a tabulating or sorting machine in which the feed mechanism is arranged to cooperate with my improved check. The card parts of the checks are made of accurately uniform dimensions and the edges I I are also located in accurate relation to other parts of the card part so that accurate feeding of the card part of the check'is assured independently of the paper part 8. In order to make it possible for the fingers of such modified sorting or tabulating machine to engage the edge portions II, spaces are provided adjacent to the edge portions I I into which the fingers of the machine may enter, this being done in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3 by means of cuts I2 which are arranged diagonally and meet the inner ends of the edge portions II.

By means of this construction, the card parts of the checks can be fed to such modified sorting or tabulat ing machines, regardless of the nature or condition of the paper part 8 of the check. Consequently, it is possible to use the paper part of the check in any manner in which paper held togetherby tight rubber bands. All fthese customary uses of ordinary chec'k's cannot be applied to card checks as now used because such uses would damage the card checks so as to render them unfit for use in sorting and tabulatin machines. checks may also have other papers stapled, pinned, or otherwise secured thereto without damage to the card part I of the check. The paper parts of the checks herein described arer therefore, usable in connection with machinesand apparatus of the kind now commonly employed'b'y banks and b'a'n'lis'icust'omers in connedti onwitli the drawingof checks; maths checks may alsobe arranged checkbooks of i'l'a'rit'iustypes' incliidi thefoldi'rig" che'c'kbooks which are now'popular'with many users or checks; the raids being n' th'e paper partsf'of the checks.

In Fig'i' 4, 1 have shown a modified form" of this invention in which the" rear edges of the card parts [5' of' the checks have port-ions [6' at the upper and lower parts of the check expd'sed-" for engagement by the" feed fingers or a' sorting or tabulating machine; and the paper part f-l or the che'ck h'as the corners cutoff, SIS shown at [3, to

provide s aces into which the fingers of the mag chines may enter to engage the exposed edge portions 16 of the card part of the che'c'lii- The paper part may be secured t the card part of theic'hecli by anadhesive a'long'the Zane" i=9.

Another modified form of Check is shcwn' in Fig. 5,1 in which the paper pa'rt' 24 of the check is of less width" than the cardpart 25" and is centrally securedwith reference to the adjacent edgeof' the ca'rdpart along the zone 21, thusle'av' ing edge portion's 28 exposed for en'g'a'gem'ent by the; feed fingers or a machine;

. The card part of the check is provided on a face with as" manyrows 30 of index numbers as may be desired, and the card part maybe" perforated' at any of these'numbers'. These rows of numbers maybe'used' for any suitable or desired purpose. The numbers of" certain rows may, for example, be perforated to" indicate the Federal Reserve district in which the bank on which the check is drawn is heated; other" rows of indexes may be used for designating the. particular bank in, the district on' whichthe check is" drawn, and still other rows may be used for designating the particular branch of the bank-L Other rows' maybe used to designate specific accounts withmthe bank on Which the check is drawn. All or these perforations may be made in the cardparts or the checks while they are being manufactured and while in blank form.- These perforations may be used in suitable sorting machines for sorting checks; according to districts; baiiks, branches and individual accounts. The firstmentionedp'erfora tram-s, for example, may be used for sorting ueers according to t e Federal Reserv districts in which they are drawn either in" sorting mac nes The paper parts of my improved such Federal Reserve district. These banks in the district may then use other perforations to sort the checks according to the specific branch of the bank on which it is drawn and according to specific accounts.

Other rows of indexes may be used for perforating the card portion of the check according to the amount for which the check is drawn and for any other information, and these perforations may be used in connection with suitable tabulating" machines or sorting machines, according to the use made of the particular rows of perforations. Other uses may, of course, be made of the perforations in the card parts of the eck By mean's of the checks described, a great deal of thework of banks in connection with the handling oi checks may be done mechanically with much greater speed and higher accuracy than can be done by hand and the saving of tiin'e'inhandling checks is a very important'fa-ctor in expediting the transfer of funds. The checks described have all the advantages of the card checks now used to a small extent in which the entire check. is made of card material, and my improved checks are not nearly so sensitive to mutilation, since the c'ardparts of the checks are-relatively small. Since the card parts or" the checks are stiffer and resist folding more than thepaper parts of the checks, it will be natural for users of these checks, if they wish to fold them, to fold the soft paper portions of the checks. 'I=he.p'aper parts of my improved checks are usuable in connection with any check writing-and protecting instrumentalities now in use, sothatth'e adoption of my improved checks does BOUT-$111618! such equipment obsolete. By providingexposed edge portions on portions of the card part of thecheck'adjacent to the paper portion,

2 the feeding of the card portions can be efiected with a high degree of accuracy in feeding to machines, which accuracy cannot be obtained with checks made entirely of paper of the type on whichchecks are ordinarily printed at the present time. Sincethe card parts of my improved checks are smaller than card checks now inuse, they are less subject to distortion and change in length due to changes in temperature andhumidity, and consequently, the card parts 0i improved checks can be used accurately in suitable tabulating and sorting machines under conditions which would render it impossible to use card checks in such machines.

The word card? is herein used to designate any suitable relatively stiff material which is usable in sorting, and tabulating machines, and the wordfpaper is used to designate material which it may be desired to use for printing, writing and protecting checks.

I claim as my invention:

1;, A check; made in two parts of different materialssecured together along adjacent edges of the two parts, one of the parts being made of cardmaterial, and the other part being made of paper of materially less thickness than said card material and having a check form thereon, said. card part of the check adjacent to the junction with the paper part being provided with edges accuratelylocated with relation to other portions oi said card part and exposed for engagement by parts oisuitable sorting and tabulating machines for feeding the card part of the check to said machines without interference by the paper part of they check which, is attached thereto.

Acheck made of. two parts, one part being of card material and the other part being of paper and having a check form thereon, said parts being arranged lengthwise of the check and secured together intermediate of the ends of the check, said card part of the check being accurately formed for cooperation with suitable sorting and tabulating machines and being provided at the upper and lower edges of the check with inwardly extending edge portions by means of which said card portion may be fed to sorting and tabulating machines with the edge of the card portion located at one end of the check leading and with the paper portion of the check trailing.

3. A check in accordance with claim 2, in which the inwardly extending edge portions of the card part of the check are arranged adjacent to the portion of said card to which the paper part is attached, said edge portions being accuratelylocated with relation to other edges of the card part of the check to ensure correct feeding of the card part of the check to sorting and tabulating machines.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,236,475 Pierce Aug. 14, 1917 2,093,555 Ford Sept. 21, 1937 2,165,250 George July 11, 1939 2,174,117 Buster Sept. 26, 1939 2,185,696 Tomkinson Jan. 2, 1940 2,357,444 Arm bruster Sept. 5, 1944 2,371,008 Whittlesey Mar. 6, 1945 

